


How Do You Know?

by Tearose_romantic



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Claudeleth Prompt:Trust/Dreams, Claudeleth Week (Fire Emblem), Developing Relationship, Feelings Realization, Freeform, No gender specified for Byleth, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25680625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tearose_romantic/pseuds/Tearose_romantic
Summary: Musings of Claude throughout the growth of his relationship with Byleth.  A series of questions and uncertainty followed by a single known fact.Claudeleth Week 2020 Prompt: Trust/Dreams.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23
Collections: Claudeleth Week 2020





	How Do You Know?

When does a stranger become a tool? Is it when their prowess is proven, tested and uncontested? When a demon of ash and steel becomes a being of flesh and blood? When whispers and rumors are made manifest? When fate lets slip a single boon, and greedy hands snatch it up before it hits the ground? 

When does a tool become a mentor? When it offers its power to you? When its arms are opened wide, an invitation, a challenge, and a test? When its, no,  _ their _ , words now have secrets to disclose? When wisdom and knowledge drop from their mouth and hands like figs heavy on the branch? When it becomes evident they want you to be more than you already are? 

When does a mentor become a puzzle? When their words and past lay misty and shrouded, just distinct enough to imagine? When their own understanding has gaps that require instruction in kind? When blank eyes look curious back at your own? When strange habits and quirks flower against pale, flinty stoicism? When that siren’s call of a deep connection to other deep mysteries echoes with each new interaction? 

When does a puzzle become a comrade? When blades are blocked and wounds taken in your stead? When subtle smiles and hidden jokes are mined from the once-barren face? When tracks are covered and consequences are lessened for no reason beyond familiarity? When their mysteries unravel ever-so-slightly and reveal still more? When sacred bone shakes the very earth that you may not stumble? When the fire in their eyes burns with wrath at your enemies and warmth at your words? 

When does a comrade become a confidant? When lies lay bitter on your tongue? When your secrets bubble forth unbidden, safe in the knowledge shared? When sea-deep eyes see through the careful glamour and illusion to the truth? When their puzzle pieces start to overlap with your own, until you can’t tell one from the other? When soft expressions and quiet words feel natural, unbidden, safe? When pain and suffering shared feels lighter on your shoulders? When the sky feels small and the world smaller still in their trust? 

When does a confidant become a partner? When no scheme feels complete without seafoam hair at its front? When their pain becomes your own? When their support becomes all you need? When the very roots of the world feel as nothing with their hand in yours? When you notice the curve of their cheeks, the scars on their hands, the cadence of their footsteps? When each meeting brings peace and each parting disquiet? When touches linger long and gazes longer still? When you realize you’ve become something more than you are at their side? When the thought of a single kiss sends the mind and body soaring? When the promise of more consumes like a divine fire? When the coming dawn feels incomplete without their flame to light it? 

When does a partner become a betrothed? When the question that quakes in your throat sees the light of day? When all your schemes and plans fall apart without them? When even though this is  _ not  _ the ideal time, the ideal place, the ideal situation, to wait another moment  _ aches _ ? When circumstances threaten to pull you both apart, you cling all the tighter? When a band of silver and emerald circles their cherished finger? When distance and duty separate bodies, but not souls? When a promise, a pledge, a vow as deep and powerful as the gods themselves is forged? 

When does a betrothed become a spouse? It isn’t when the priest says so. It isn’t the shared goblet of wine, the cloth knot binding hands together, or the first shared kiss. It isn’t the paper signed with dual signet rings and flourishing ink. It isn’t the first meal shared, the first dance entwined. It isn’t the long-awaited joining of bodies and breaths. It is the moment when eyes meet, familiar in so many ways, but new again somehow. It is a moment of stillness, quiet, and peace. A moment of shared truth, vulnerability, and trust. A moment that is the end of one journey and the beginning of another.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know Claudeleth Week 2020 ended a while ago, but know that I'm done with my 9-hour monster of an exam and virtual conferences, I'm back in the game! (Hopefully I can manage my time more effectively moving forward.). 
> 
> In any case, I'm glad you took the time to read this. I wanted to do something a little different, and this was a fun little exercise to do. Hopefully I can do some more stuff in this challenge, albiet, late, out-of-order, and a bit rushed. 
> 
> As always, comments appreciated and constructive feedback even moreso! 
> 
> Have a lovely day and stay safe!


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